Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-06

I ammunition, ETC., with the double object OF
I depriving the Union men of them and adding
the same to the Confederate resources. A
long train had also been sent out to the Goose
creek salt works-twenty-fve miles northeast
of London-to bring away lot OF salt stored
there, Of which the Confederates had even
more need than of food
Fortner proposed TO so out in the morning
and endeavor to capture some of these wagons.
4 II seemed altogether probable that a few
might be caught in such position that their
guards could be killed or driven of.
All readily agreed 20 this plan, Aunt Debby
leading off by volunteering to ride ahead on
her mare, as a scout.
Harry suddenly remembered that he was
wcaponless 1What shall do for gung' he
asked, anxiously.
Il declar, done forgot all bout gittin' We
gum said Fortner with real concern. aMy
mind was disturbed by other things" he
added with o suspicion of grin at Edwards
and Bolton; but they were leaning back In
their chairs fast asleep Appleiack, fatigue
and hearty supper together made narcotic
too potent to resist.
FORMER rose spread few blankets on the
floor added a sack Of bran for pillow, and
with some difficulty induced the two sleepers
TO lie down and take their slumbers IN more
natural position
an find .ye gun, said Aunt Debby, d.
this operation was finished, and walking to G
farther corner Of the room, she came bach
bearing in her hand rife very similar TO the
one Fortner. carried.
@Thar,' she said, setting the delicately
curved brazen heel down upon the hearth,
and holding tho muzzle at arms length while
she gazed at the gun with the admiration one
cannot help feeling for magnificent weapon,
lis ez true rifle ez ever man put to his
shoulder. Ef didn't b'lieve ye ter be ez true
ez steel ye shouldn't tech hit, fur bit bqonged
ter the truest man in this livin' world
Slit wuz her husband's,p explained Fort
ner, as her lips met firmly, as il choking down
bitter memories,
'rm givin' hit ter We ter use ez hod a-used
hit eff he war a-livin',o she said, steadying
her tones with a perceptible effort I'm
glad tibet. my hands can put inter yours the
means ter avenge him.
Harry tried in vain to mako an appro-
pirate response.
"Tll clean hit up for ye,' she said to Harry,
as she saw Former beginning TO Turkish up
his own rife for the next days duties
That she was no stranger to the work was
shown by the skill with which she addressed
herself to it. Nothing that a Kentucky
mountaineer does has more of the aspect of a
labor Of love, than his caring for a fine rifle,
and any Of them would have been put TO
shame by the defines of Aunt Debbys sup
pie hands Removing the leathern hood
which protected the lock, she carefully rubbed
of the hammer and the nipple with wisp of
soft iine tow, and picked out the tube with a
needle, Wrapping another bit Of tow around
the end Of wiping stick, she moistened it
slightly in her mouth, and carefully swabbed
out Of the inside of the barrel every suspicion
OF dust and dirt Each Of the winding rifles
was made clean and free along its whole
course. Then tho tow swab was lightly
touched with sweet, unsalted goose fat, that
il might spread rust preventing film over
the interior surface. She FURNISHED the sill
yer and brass ornaments, and rubbed the
polished stock until it shone When not a
suspicion Of soil or dirt remained anywhere.
the delicate double triggers were examined
and set so that they would yield at the stroke
of hair; a tult of lightly oiled tow was placed
over tie nipple and another closed the muz-
zlc
@Thar," said Aunt Debby, setting tho gun
back against tho logs, is a rifle that'u alters
do hits duty, Of the man a-holt of hit does
his. Lets see how the ammunition is"
The powder horn was found to DO well
filed with powder and the box with caps,
but there we're only few bullets.
an run 80 some, !" she said, taking from a
shelf small iron ladle, few bars of lead
and pair CT bullet molds. "Fur more'n a
hundred years the women Nv our family hev
run all the bullets our men folks shot. They
blieved hit made 'em lucky. Grandfather
Fortner killed i'm Injun chief acrost the Maui
mce river at tho battle Of Fallen Timbers
with bullet that granmother he'd run fur
him an rnarllt with a little cross. Afore tho
battle begun granfather tuck the bullet
outen his pouch an put hit inter his mouth
until he could get chance ter use hit on big
game. He brot the chiefs scalp hum ter
granmother.
II believe the bullets you east for me VIII
do good service, said Harry, with sincerity
in his tones.
sim sartin Of hit,n she retdrned, conf
IDENTIFY. Il hev adopted 20 in MY heart e. a
son, an feel toward ye e. Of We were raylly
NV my own kin. know yen DO a credit K
yerself an me-"
While the lead was melting upon tho bed
Of Goals she drew out on the hearth she sat
in her low chair with her hands clasped about
her knees and her great gray eyes fixed upon
the depths Of q mass Of glowing embers in
the fireplace, as if she saw there vivid pic
lures Of the past or revelations Of tho future.
How wonderfully bright an CLOWN hit is
in thar She said musingly, "hit's purer an
brighter then ennything else on arth. 'Puri-
fed ez BIZ fire. the Book says. Ny God,
Thou has sent Thy fires upon me ez a sweep
in food Hev they purified me ez Thou
visit. How hit shines an glows away in
tharl Hit seems SO deep sometimes thet l
kin skeercely sec the eend. A million times
purer an brighter is the light tibet shines
from the throne NV God They're lookin' at
thet now, while still tarry heah. Husband
an son, when will go tooye! When viii |
..nish the work the Lord hez fur me ter do9
When win the day Nv my freedom comet
Maybe to-morrer-maybe to-morer."
She began singing softly;
An when shadder falls aerost the winder
OF my room,
When am worldn' my appinted task,
lift my head to watch the door an ask
II He is come;
An the angel answers s@eety
In my home
'Gnly q few more shodders
An lie win come
Aunt Debby, honey, said Fortner, rous-
ing himself from q nap in his chair, tibet
thar leads burnin'. Better Tuna yer bullets. "
She started as if walked from trance,
pressed her slender, thin hands TO her eyes for
an instant, and then taking the molds up in
her left hand she raised the ladle with her
right, filled them from it, knocked the nodded
balls out by a tap on the floor ard repeated
the process with such dexterous quickness
that she had made fifty bullets before Harry
realized that she was fairly at work
''Ye men he'd better lay down am git some
Sleep" she said, as she replaced the molds and
ladle on the shelf YEN need all yer strength
to-morrer. I'll neck these bullets an git to-
gether some vittles fur the trip, an then LII
lay down while We orter start airly-
soon arter daybrealy"
They did start early the next morning,
with Aunt Debby riding upon the roads that
wound around the mountain sides while
.Fortner led the men through the shorter by
paths.
Noon had passed some hours, and yet they
had come across no signs of wagons Aunt
Debby was riding along a road cut out of the
rocks about midway up the mountain. To
her right the descent was almost perpendicu-
lar for 100 feet on more to where a creek ran
at the bottom Of q cliff To her left the bill
rose up steeply 10 a great height. Fortner
and the others were threading their way
through the brush some distance above her,
and keeping her in view as well as the bushes
and trees would permit Suddenly there
a,.Oso f.,,,, .l,f, road the s011nd OF pa1cpinp